Fate Future Past
by Aigaion
Summary: Shirou Emiya had known a moderately peaceful life after being saved from a deadly fire when he was a child. Raised by a father who later passed on, leaving the job of raising the young boy to the sole mother - the youth found himself enjoying both a normal school life and forays into a world of magic...until a fateful day arrives to remind him why they say a magus walks with death.
1. Welcome Home

AN: Welcome to what happens when you mod Fallout 4 and make things feel like a well made Post Apocalyptic anime. I'll try and answer some non-spoilery questions down below but for now please enjoy the story.

* * *

**Chapter I: Welcome Home**

"I'm heading out, be back later!" Shirou called out, sliding the door to his home open with the familiar sound of wood sliding on wood. Another day of school - another day of helping people out at Homurahara, something the young redhead boy was quite intimate with. The 'Fake School Janitor' nickname did have to come from somewhere after all. He had almost made his way out the doorway when another voice cut through the air to stop him in his tracks

"Not so fast Shirou…" a firm, yet still somehow gentle voice rang out

"Mom…"

"Nuh uh, I know you - you'll probably share your lunch again with Sakura so take this little extra to go alright? I don't want to hear your stomach growling again the moment you open up the door when you get back later" the familiar teasing chuckle rang out, the young teen turning around to face the voice and take the extra bento's worth of food.

His mother was a bit plain to many folks' eyes, short chestnut color hair framing a rather rosy face, a single cowlick that she never could quite get to bend to her will curving out to the left, aqua blue eyes that just seemed to sparkle at times in the light and a smile that held a mix of teasing and playfulness rolled into one.

To be honest the woman before him was not his biological mother. She was a friend of his father, someone who had helped raise him from his youth and took care of his father as his condition had deteriorated over the years. She had tried to help with all manner of medicines she had brought along but none of them could stop what had been inevitable...at least his dad had gone with a smile on his face and a torch passed in a sense.

"Earth to Shirou, you aren't fantasizing about your mom now are you? Should I be worried or something?" she spoke up as she shook the wrapped container of food for emphasis, her tone going for the more teasing side of things as the redhead blinked and realized he had been staring into space for a minute there.

"Ah no, I was just...thinking of things. Got a lot on my mind again I guess"

"Thinking about Kiritsugu's words again hero boy?"

"Yeah…" he admitted slowly, taking the extra bit of food finally from her hands "It still feels like yesterday sometimes" Shirou added as he tucked things away. He would have continued with a few more words but those thoughts he had were pushed out of his mind the moment he felt his face get dragged into something quite...soft. A warm, comforting embrace which he returned for a few moments before standing back up straight and moving to leave "I gotta go now mom, don't want to be late or anything you know"

"Just remember Shirou, I'm always here if you need to talk okay?" his mother reminded gently, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead before she fondly ruffled his hair to mess it up a bit more than what it already was. The teen could only grumble but nodded with a warm smile of his own before heading down the steps and out the gate - a brisk walk as the sun slowly rose over Fuyuki City.

The woman simply leaned against the doorway, watching the boy she had come to raise for the past five years on her own head off to school - a soft smile gracing her lips before another sound broke her out of her thoughts.

"Kid's been thinking of that night again?" a gruff voice spoke up, prompting the woman to look back into the house where a familiar face returned her gaze with a nod of greeting. Bright yellow eyes looked back - cold, and mechanical yet filled with life in her opinion. Stepping closer into the morning light revealed a being that could only be called human in form. Sure it wore the clothes of a human; a faded beige trench coat over a simple white suit and black tie combo, topped off with a rather well-worn black fedora, but the many holes in its skin only exposed steel, wiring and a well oiled machine.

"You know how stubborn he is Nick, once he gets invested in something even you'd have a hard time swaying his one track mind"

"Sounds almost like a certain Vault Dweller I know, over 200 years old, pretty much fought all of Boston just to reunite with her son, did some crazy things I tell you" Nick Valentine smiled, the servos in his face giving the machine man a more smug look than anything else to which the woman playfully returned with a weak punch to his shoulder - both of them sharing a laugh as she closed the door behind her. She made her way past him and was about to offer the man something to pass the time until a change in Nick's tone made her freeze mid step on the way to the kitchen.

"Nutsume, the ley lines are powering up again...it's gonna be starting real soon and you know he's going to be involved somehow"

"..."

"...You can't shield him forever you know, he isn't Shaun-"

"I know" she stopped him with a tone of finality, giving Nick pause. For a few moments, there was no sound in the Emiya household except the ticking of the clock echoing out through the old Japanese home.

"You're also going to need more juice for your Noble Phantasm...a lot more than what you already have split between our merry little gang"

"That too...but I'll cross that bridge when we get there, right now the six of us should be enough to handle things. How's Piper's investigation going?"

"To quote her words to me, 'Kuzuki's ass is real tight in those pants he wears'..."

"...I think Piper's been sharing one too many drinks with Cait lately"

* * *

The familiar sounds of Westminster bells rang out through the schools, those slow relaxing chimes followed by the scraping sounds of tables and chairs as students got up and began to prepare to head home. In one of the many classrooms of Homurahara - Taiga Fujimara, homeroom teacher to one Shirou Emiya and another family friend reminded her students of the homework she had assigned to them and how there would be consequences should folks conveniently forget to bring their papers in again.

"Now excuse me - I've got a hot date with food!" the energetic woman grinned, exuding a satisfied glow of happiness as she practically skipped out of the classroom before the other students began to file out. A few groups remained but mostly they were those with a few after school activities or plans set out with friends.

"Oy Emiya, what are you planning to do after class today?"

"Help fix a few things for the Student Council Shinji"

Shinji Matou, Shirou...didn't know at this point whether to call him a friend, an acquaintance or just a plain dick. He could be good...rarely but lately things seemed to be getting more strained than usual.

"Hah, so playing janitor again? That's so like you mister boy scout" the bluenette mocked, sitting himself atop Shirou's desk as the redhead packed a few notebooks and papers into his bag. Deciding not to reply for the moment and check if he had the needed materials for their assignment, he nearly missed the next half of Shinji's usual words "Me on the other hand, I've got plans today to get Tohsaka to go out with me"

"Wait, you're planning to ask Tohsaka...Rin Tohsaka? Really?" Shirou paused to reply, processing what Shinji had just said while ducking down to check for a few things he had tucked away in his desk.

"Yeah, why?"

"Good luck, you'll need it. Also here"

"...Bandaids?" Shirou could almost smile from beneath things as he heard the confusion in Shinji's voice.

"It's going to hurt, trust me - you'd be just one more casualty"

"Oh ye of little faith, I'll have her eating out of the palm of my hand soon enough. Anyways, thought you'd like to know that while you're playing at being Fix-it Felix, I'm gonna be Wreck-it Ralph~" the Matou answered with a smug look and utter confidence. Shirou had to admit, looking at his odd friend...enemy...whatever, he did have to wonder where the bravado came from at times. To be so sure of yourself in the face of certain defeat.. That and he couldn't help but also quip;

"You do realize Ralph loses...a lot, like thrown in the garbage levels of losing"

Seeing Shinji splutter at that reminder was totally worth it - Shirou could already imagine his mother's sarcasm bleeding out through him with those words. Yet before the Matou could retort, the classroom doors slid open again to reveal a foreign, African American man in a rather unique outfit. A lightweight, loose fitting, old America militia-styled coat worn right over a faded vest that had a green heavy scarf tied up beneath the other two.

Seeing the man make his way over towards them, Shinji stood back up with a bit of a scowl "Bah, whatever - see you tomorrow Emiya" the other boy spoke up as he made his way out of the near empty classroom, the sudden notice of how much more quiet the place was making Shirou realize that nearly everyone else had already gone ahead to do their own thing. He picked up his own bag first and nodded towards the familiar face before his mother's friend spoke up.

"Ah Shirou, I know I probably sound like a broken record here but another-"

"-Heater needs my help right? Don't worry Mr. Garvey, Issei sent me a heads up about it before class started earlier" Shirou smiled, giving his English teacher a nod of understanding. Winter was coming up soon and by sheer coincidence, the heaters all around the school seemed to be breaking down more often in lead up to the holidays. The budget was tight enough as is and the school was lucky enough in a way that the young Emiya was willing to do this extra bit of work for free.

"Need me to mark where it is for you?" the man smiled at the memory his words brought up.

"Eh?"

"Hah, forget about it Shirou - it's just a bit of an inside joke between your mother and me. Which reminds me, Nutsume's worried with all the accidents going on lately and news reports of attacks at night" the boy's teacher spoke with a bit more seriousness in his voice that the teen couldn't help but nod slowly.

"Gas leaks right? That's what the news has been calling them so far, kinda hard to believe it's taking this long to find the cause…not to mention those murders popping up..."

"Just be back home before it gets too dark okay?" Preston reminded with a bit more of a serious tone before going back to more jovial tone "Codsworth is prepping dinner for a change of pace this time and as much as I like your cooking Shirou, I've just been craving something a bit more filling like steak you know?"

"It's no problem" Shirou waved it off, an understanding look on his face while mentally he made a note to have his mother's household assistant teach him a few more Western dishes that the others loved. "Oh, before I forget - about today's lesson…"

The two went into a bit of idle chatter for a short while, mostly school related stuff before they went their separate ways with Preston mentioning a meeting he had to attend to while Shirou himself made his way over to the Student Council's office to get to work on that broken heater.

Another day, another bit of help to give to those who need it

Shirou rolled his shoulders and flexed his circuits

'Trace on'

* * *

"Rin...something is wrong"

Up on the roof of the school, a young woman with black hair tied into a simple twintail style regarded the empty air beside her, glancing for a moment before turning her back to the scene below as the Track and Field team went about their usual practices.

"Is it a servant?" she asked simply, a few dozen thoughts going through her mind

"I can't say, it feels like a Servant but at the same time it's as if they are right here with us and far away at the same time"

"A familiar maybe?" she suggested, wondering if the upcoming war's Assassin was staking out the school as well

"No, definitely not a simple familiar…"

"And here I thought Archer's had a knack for accurate senses. Didn't you count all the rivets on the bridge last night?" the teen teased back, a bit of a smug smile on her face - one that lasted only for a few moments when she realized her Servant wasn't making a witty retort to match.

"Archer?"

Archer grit his teeth a bit at the unfamiliar feeling brushing against his senses. He could already say for certain in his mind that this Holy Grail War would not be the one he knew by heart.

Someone had already dug in to Homurahara Academy...and it wasn't Rider.

* * *

"Shirou...listen to what you are saying, you want to save every single person out there? That's going to be impossible you know..."

"But...I was going to die and you saved me, pulled me out of the fire with mom helping you out. If you could save me, why can't everyone else out there be saved too?"

"You're not getting it...Shirou, generally if you want to save someone - to give them the salvation they're crying out for…"

**You better be ready to damn someone else to the grave.**

_[North Miyama Station coming up]_

For a gentle announcement, Shirou sure awoke with a start. Blinking the tiredness out of his eyes, the young man guessed he must have been a bit more tired than he had expected. He did at least call it lucky that he had woken up for the right stop instead of being made to either catch another bus heading back.

It was already dark outside, he noted with a bit of a grumble - checking his watch to make sure he was still on schedule and inwardly letting out a sigh of relief as a simple 7:00 blinked stared back from his watch's face. As soon as the bus had stopped, he thanked the driver with a smile and hopped off to begin a silent walk back home.

With all that had happened today - the news, his fixing up of a few bits of school equipment, his part time job at Copenhagen...hell, he took a bit of a breather after work by swinging around Fuyuki Central Park and just losing himself a bit in the memories of the past.

A fire, blazing and angry - all consuming in its path...the screams of men, women and children all around him…

Ten years prior - a great blaze had swallowed a great chunk of the Shinto district of Fuyuki. It has been dubbed the Great Fuyuki Fire, the cause of hundreds of deaths and untold millions in property damage.

It was also the day he had been saved.

As a young boy, he had remembered wandering the streets of fire - crying for help amidst the many others pleading for their own miracles to appear and save them. When he had finally collapsed, his lungs burning from the air he was breathing in...that was when he met his father and mother.

Kiritsugu Emiya had held him close to his chest, crying in happiness at the one life he had managed to save from the fire. Shirou could remember something as well...a light...something warm and the feeling of being able to breathe a bit easier. It was when he had been picked up and cradled in his father's arms did he see his would be-mother standing a few steps away, surveying the destruction around them.

His father said something...he couldn't remember it even if he was so close, it was one word that he spoke that got his mother's attention - her head whipping his way.

She had looked so different back then, wearing a uniform he couldn't recognize. It did not look like that of a local police woman or someone with the JSDF but it did give off that military feel - something that was only made all the more obvious with the varying guns slung on her back and hanging from her hip. Her expression had been colder, almost like steel - something in contrast with the absolute joy coming from Kiritsugu Emiya. In fact, if he could compare the first memory of his mother to the ones he had today - he would have thought them to be two different people.

Their lips moved once more.

Shirou embraced a blissful sleep….

"Hey mister"

Shirou was once again jolted back to reality - realizing that he was no longer alone on the lone empty street towards his home. A few meters away under the light of the next lamppost stood a young girl who looked no older than ten, her white hair and crimson eyes that pierced through him giving the redhead a bit of pause.

She was distinctly foreign - the pale, almost albino skin something you'd be hard pressed to find here in Japan. She was dressed quite warmly with a purple coat that went down below her knees and a white scarf tucked around her neck. A velvet like hat of matching color to her dress topped her head and completed the ensemble, a sign to the teen that she was most definitely well off to afford such things.

"H-hey what are you doing out so late!? Haven't you heard the news, it's dangerous to be out at this time without supervision!" Shirou spoke up with worry as the girl approached him. Despite her age, her cheery disposition and a skip in her step - the young Emiya couldn't help but feel like he was a piece of meat being examined by a viper, what with how those eyes stayed firmly on him until the girl had walked right past him before he could properly process her next words

"Best summon your servant mister or you're going to die very soon~"

His head whipped around at those words but as unbelievable as it was to his senses - there was no one beside or behind him and the street was as empty as it was before the girl had appeared.

The streetlight above him flickered a bit and Shirou took it as a sign to walk just a tad bit fast towards his home. On second thought though, perhaps a brisk jog would be better…

"Here you go madame, a nice serving of tea prepared to just the right temperature!"

Shirou at times just had to wonder how easy it was at times to pass off an advanced robot as a personal project. Sure Taiga took it at face value and chalked it up to Japanese technological prowess but even he and Sakura could tell Codsworth was far more than just a simple floating robot though his childhood friend didn't really bother to contradict or point out how many holes that explanation of his mother's had. Still, only those in the dining room at the moment knew of the mechanical butler…

"Is there something wrong with the food Shirou?" the distinctly synthesized british voice of Codsworth asked, one of three eyes looking towards him.

"Oh nothing - it's great, just a bit more butter than I'd like on the greens…" he replied, smiling a bit as he heard the floating orb give a slight "Ah" in understanding, probably already filing that away as a specific note for the future.

The evening was as lively as usual, Shirou having returned just in time to see his homeroom teacher Taiga and classmate/oldest friend Sakura Matou arrive at the same time. Now here they were at the family table enjoying a western spread of foods prepared by the mechanical wonder that was Codsworth - a 'Mr. Handy' as his mother had called him.

Three different eyes mounted on a steel spherical core, all kept afloat by a small jet engine underneath the assembly. Mounted right underneath the sphere at the same points where the camera like eyes were positioned up above were three mechanical arms, one being a simple clamp like hand that Codsworth used quite often to pick up things, another nozzle attached to a small yellow container and the last being...a rather intimidating circular buzzsaw.

As Shirou said, he could tell it wasn't modern day mechanics that had given birth to Codsworth but he chalked that up to his mother's odd style of magic and charisma that she had just pretty much convinced Taiga and Sakura that nothing was wrong.

He looked to the others at the table with a bit of a fond smile, seeing the local journalist Piper Wright in her iconic red leather trench coat talking with Professor Garvey. Another odd friend of his mother, one who had a bit of an obsession with making sure people knew the truth via investigative journalism. In the years that he had known her, she had cracked a few cases and blown a few dark deeds into the open for the police to catch. Yet even with the heat she sometimes caught thanks to poking her nose into things - she never backed down. It was admirable and something he could relate with in terms of his ideals (Even if his mom told him it was a bad thing).

"And you should have seen Asakura's face when I got front page article again - I swear she's made me out to be her journalistic rival or something…either that or she's taking a competitive streak somewhere unhealthy..." Piper recounted, a small chuckle escaping her lips as she recalled her co-worker's expression.

"Well redhead's to tend to be a bit more fiery and passionate…"

"Ohh~ is that a bit of gossip I sense? Someone caught your eye Preston-don't tell me it's one of your students?"

"Piper!"

Turning his gaze away from the two as Piper proceeded to poke a bit of fun towards his other teacher, his eyes swept past and met with Sakura who he smiled towards a bit apologetically. The girl understood but still found herself flushing red with a bit of embarrassment. Honestly she did prefer things this lively - it beat the rather dead dinners with her brother and grandfather by a long shot.

Still...being caught in between the fiery Taiga Fujimura and equally fiery Irishwoman that was Cait was a bit of a worry.

Cait was...unemployed, or rather didn't work for any one person in particular outside of Shirou's mother. She could be spotted in many places in Fuyuki taking odd jobs; from helping out at the docks unloading fish, to assisting Taiga in the occasional kendo class (which never ends well the moment Cait just resorts to her fists…) and sometimes he's even seen her help out with a few deliveries to the cafe he worked at. Out of his mother's friend - he knew Cait probably the least as she would usually head out early unless something needed her attention or he needed a lesson in hand to hand combat.

Overall as Shirou Emiya sat there enjoying his own cup of green tea - listening to the varied sounds of his family doing their own things, the teen found himself happy to be surrounded by such warmth. Still...he did feel a bit of sadness seep in - knowing other people didn't have what he had or had that chance ripped away from their grasp.

'Everyone deserves that chance…' he thought a bit glumly - smile just losing a bit of its shine until the old clock down the hall rang.

"Oh is it that late already?" Taiga noted in surprise- still butting heads with the foul mouthed redhead who found herself falling to the floor with an undignified yelp when Taiga stood up from the table - taking Sakura's hand as the purple haired girl found herself blinking a bit at what was happening.

"You two fine with going out this late? You do know we have extra rooms…" Nutsume offered with a bit of a worried look, one that was shared by Shirou to a degree.

"It's fine Mrs. Emiya" Sakura assured "Besides, my grandfather is a bit strict really - I do have to get back home tonight. Besides, I'm sure Miss Fujimura can take care of things" the young girl added to which Taiga smiled widely before throwing in her own two cents "Don't worry Nutsume, Sakura is safe with me~ Besides I still got my beloved Tora Shinai with me in case someone tries to get handsy"

"Alright if you are sure, just remember our door is always open to you two okay?" the chestnut haired woman nodded in understanding.

"I'll see them out mom" Shirou added, wanting to talk to Sakura for a bit before they parted ways which Nutsume understood with a teasing smile and a playful "Go ahead then"

The remaining group soon found themselves alone as the Trio exited the front door and headed out to the gates.

The air just got a bit more serious in a few seconds as Nutsume took a slow sip of her remaining tea, holding the empty cup out for Codsworth to refill.

"Did you feel it too Blue? It was just last night" Piper started, looking to the woman she had a deeper connection to than anyone else in Fuyuki could guess.

"Yes, another servant had been summoned, I discussed it earlier with Nick. That makes it four that we can be sure of and leaves three unknown spots left…"

"The Matou, the Tohsaka, the Einzbern, and that one servant up there in the mountains who cut off your supply line..." Preston listed off before Piper continued

"Do you think-"

"I've seen Kiritsugu's circle in the workshop, it's getting clearer with every hour now. If my son isn't involved I'll gladly eat Preston's hat"

"Hey!"

"What about Sakura?" Cait piped in, folding her arms across her chest after picking herself up "You know she's a Mag-"

"But she isn't a Master" Nutsume cut her friend off with a stern look "We felt no connection - well now at least. There's some lingering feeling but it's gone now which means-"

"Either she got her Servant killed early on, someone took them from her and for some reason left her alive or we're being played like a fiddle" the familiar voice of Nick Valentine cut through the air, a shimmer moving right behind Nutsume as the older woman nodded in agreement.

"What did you find Nick?" she asked, having a feeling in her gut she wasn't going to like what came next.

"Well a certain young Einzbern missy met your son on the way here…"

A dull thud rang out in the dining room as Nutsume's head hit the table and a groan left her lips. The others feeling just a tad bit sorry at seeing one more problem being piled on their leader's plate.

"That's it, I'm calling it right here. This world can officially bite my ass…"

* * *

And that's a wrap for this - its a one shot at the moment born of a plot bunny that hit me really hard but I do have a whole framework for the entire 5th Holy Grail War that I can work on. For now though I'll see how this gets received in terms of an idea. Now to answer a few questions you folks might have.

Q:** What's with the name?**  
A: It's literally the name I ran with for her. It started as an inside joke between friends but I kinda came to use it seriously for her as I expanded on her story in the Commonwealth. Eventually the Fate Crossover idea hit me and I just had to write it. Besides, you should see the other Sole Survivors up in the Throne of Heroes - there are many more...colorful names.

Q: **Did she replace any servant from the 4th Holy Grail War?  
**A: No, this will be a bit of a thing in the future. There's a skeleton of a storyline in place for the changed events of Fate/Zero but that will come later on after this. Either that or I will probably write another one shot with a bit of explanation.

Q: **Got a Servant Profile?**  
A: I do - a certain part will be left empty though for plot reasons but I can imagine a few folks might guess to what it is. The Servant Profile for Nutsume the Sole Survivor will follow and I hope it can provide a framework for more creative Fallout 4 ideas.

**SERVANT PROFILE**:

**True Name**: Nutsume

**Alias**: The Sole Survivor

**Class**: [REDACTED]

**Sex**: Female

**Alignment**: Neutral Good

**Strength**: C

**Endurance**: A+

**Agility**: A+

**Mana**: B

**Luck**: EX (though she considers it D at times…)

**NP**: [REDACTED]

**CLASS SKILLS**:

**Counter Evil (A)** \- A power of survival towards an existence that has taken the trait of Evil. What started as saving a small group of folks from Raiders out of the goodness of her heart soon blossomed into the legend of the one who fought evil to restore some semblance of peace to a lawless land.

**Charisma (A)** \- At this point it is no longer a case of popularity or just a skill but rather a kind of spell or curse in itself. Any army led by her will have a tremendous increase in abilities.

**PERSONAL SKILLS**:

**Independent Action (A+)** \- At this rank, a servant can function without a master and even access their Noble Phantasm (though those that require massive amounts of mana still need the backup of a master)

**Settler of the Stars (EX)** \- A unique skill given to heroes that became turning points in human history. All difficult voyages and challenges which are considered 'impossible' turn into 'events that can be realized'

**You're S.P.E.C.I.A.L. (EX)** \- A unique skill granted to those heroes born of the Nuclear Apocalypse. This skill is tied to the unique Mystic Code known as a 'Pipboy' and grants the servant access to a plethora of abilities unique to different iterations of the Sole Survivor. No two Sole Survivors are exactly alike and may come with drastically different classes, skills, and even Noble Phantasms. (ex. One Sole Survivor may be completely obsessed with shotguns, one might take V.A.T.S. above and beyond, one might be focused on the usage of a baseball bat, another might rely solely on speed, etc...)

**V.A.T.S (A)** \- Another unique skill, one tied as well to the Pipboy. This skill increases perception and can speed up thought. At its highest rank (EX), time is completely paused in the eyes of the wielder allowing them to analyze their targets, calculate chances for their attacks to hit, and even plan out a limited set of moves to be executed once the wielder exits V.A.T.S. At Rank A though, Nutsume can only see things with all actions being slowed to a crawl in her eyes instead of the complete peace of mind the higher ranked skill has access to. Lower ranks of V.A.T.S. remove the slow down effect and only allows the wielder to view weaknesses and discern chances to hit.

**NOBLE PHANTASM**:

[REDACTED]


	2. Hunter Hunted Part 1

Chapter II: Hunter / Hunted

* * *

Auburn hair flashed into Rin's vision - the young magus blinking a bit as Ayako Mitsuzuri, the school's resident Archery Club Captain waved a hand in front of her face.

The sun was setting for the late afternoon, bathing the classroom in an orange glow as others went about their day to day lives of normalcy.

"Rin you okay?" she asked, a bit of worry flashing through her face when she noticed she had managed to get the attention once more of the school's honor student.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired - had to read up on Professor Garvey's material's again for that test earlier" Rin explained with a bit of a smile to quell the other girl's worry. Wouldn't do good for her image if people got the wrong impression for her being just a bit too tired thanks to a night of snooping around the city.

"Huh and here I thought it was something about Shinji~" Ayaka chuckled, seeing Rin's expression turn from perfectly calm to controlled outrage in a moment.

"As if!" she huffed, "That womanizing prick can go rot for all I care - just...hearing him yesterday was, ugh - spine tingling in a bad way"

"I heard you turned him down hard...well saw the effects of it, man was more aggressive in today's practice and taking it out on the new recruits. Had to knock him down a few pegs and back into line" Ayako sighed, remembering how - despite it being a case of disciplining an unruly student, it only made her worry that this was going to just make him steam a bit more for the next few days.

What she wouldn't do to have Shirou back on the team…

* * *

"Those bandaids working out?" Shirou noted with a bit of an amused look as he looked to a familiar face leaning on his desk as another school day wound down.

"Oh fuck off Shirou" Shinji bit back as he nursed a rather noticeable red swell on his cheek, a reminder of how angry a certain star student could get given the right motivations.

"I told you Shinji-"

"I know, I know - crazy bitch didn't have to slap me though in front of practically the whole school"

"You did try to grab her by the ass…" the young magus pointed out, not having to state how wrong that was for what should have just been a confession part of any relationship.

"Bah, she'll soon realize that I'm the best guy for her in this whole damn dump of a school" the seaweed haired boy waved Shirou's words off. Shinji Matou would get what he wanted in the end - just had to think things through a bit more and make sure Rin would make up for the humiliation he had endured.

Shirou could only watch the elder Matou steam in his seat, scheming to the worry of the other. Was this really how Shinji was these days? He remembered the day he had hit his sister Sakura - couldn't forget it really considering Shirou had decked the boy so hard when he found out that Shinji had taken a delirious bow before hitting the floor out cold.

He also got kicked out of the Archery Club after that...though he had planned on leaving anyways due to some personal reasons.

"Hey earth to Emiya, you in there man?" a voice cut through his thoughts, shaking Shirou out of them as he looked to Shinji with a blank look

"You've been sure deep in thought these past few days man, still I'm betting you didn't hear what I said so let me say it again" Shinji spoke up, a bit of a bored look on his face as he leaned forward "I'm gonna blow off some steam - got some important evening plans at least for the next few days so do you mind doing a bit of cleaning in the Archery dojo? Ayako asked me to do it as part of some punishment but these plans are actually something serious - as in gramps-tier serious"

Shirou did have to hold back a bit of a wince. He had seen old man Zouken a couple of times when he had to walk Sakura back to her place and the old man had a look that spelt 'no fun allowed' all over his face. Still, he did have a few days off from his part time job since the cafe was doing some renovations so he could spare some time to cover for Shinji…

"All right, I can do that - but this is more to help out Ayako than you alright?" Shirou sighed as he rubbed his head, seeing Shinji give a light fistbump before the Matou replied with a thanks. Seriously, there were times when the seaweed of a guy was just a normal friend and yet there were times when Shirou would have loved to do nothing else but kick his ass. Perhaps the poor Matou had some sort of multiple personality disorder?

"Hey look, as thanks - I'll look around, maybe there might be a real hot babe who's into boy scouts like you~" Shinji grinned, a bit of smug expression crossing his face as he teased the redhead. He wisely stepped up to avoid Shirou's light punch aimed for his shoulder before giving him a two finger salute in turn before walking off "Come on man, stop being such a stick in the mud, trust me I might be able to make a man out of you somehow!" and with a jovial laugh, the Matou had gone ahead and made his exit, stage left leaving a slightly flustered Emiya behind to work on his so called 'punishment'.

Deciding there was no time like the present, to see if he could get things finished up early, Shirou too finally made his way out of the classroom to head down towards the Archery Club's room.

Along the way - he nearly bumped into his History and Ethics teacher, a stern man in a dark green suit who went by the name of Souichirou Kuzuki. He gave a hasty apology that received a nod in turn and the warning to be aware of his surroundings - something Shirou understood was a slight problem when he got too deep in thought these days. Still, once the man had turned the corner, he quickly reached into his bag and felt something heavy and cold brush against his hand.

"_Remember Shirou, this is for self defense only. Never bring it out unless needed" _

'Not to mention a secret…' he thought, knowing how much trouble it might lead to. Still, he went past that and grabbed his phone, closing up his bag again when he flipped it open and dialed the one number he had on shortcut - raising it up just in time to hear a familiar voice pick up after one ring.

"Shirou, everything okay over there?" his mom asked cheerily, probably in the middle of cooking or cleaning up some part of the house.

"Yeah I'm fine mom, just calling to tell you I might be late a bit if this doesn't wrap up early" he explained as he leaned back against the hallway walls - the setting sun casting a warm orange glow across all its light could touch.

"You got back into after school Archery or something?"

"No, no, just cleaning up the club room as a favor to a friend. If everything isn't a mess I should be done before it gets too late" he explained, hearing a hum of thought from the other end before a sigh escaped Nutsume's lips

"...Alright, just be careful okay? Do you still have it?"

"Yes mom, its safe with me"

A pause, silence for a few moments before his mother replied "If it gets too late, I'll tell Preston to meet up with you - it's his turn to do the groceries today so he should be able to swing back"

Shirou blinked, he was normally trusted to be out on his own to a degree - last night being a prime example so it felt a bit odd that his mother would ask her friends to be out with him.

"Something's come up Shirou, I'll explain more tonight when you get back okay?" his mother assured him, having guessed his thoughts from the momentary silence.

"Alright, just save me and Mr. Garvey a plate then if we're late"

"Just call him uncle Shirou, you know we're all family here" his mother chuckled in turn, a small laugh escaping his own lips

"Sorry, still in school you know? Force of habit"

"Just get on with that favor okay?"

"Gotcha - see you later, love you mom"

"Love you too, stay safe Shirou" Nutsume ended, closing the call before sigh escaped her lips at the sight before her.

The summoning circle had manifested completely and was ready for use once more like that fateful day 10 years ago…

"Codsworth" she called out from inside the shed, her butler of sorts answering without missing a beat

"Yes Mum?"

"How stocked is the Emiya Household Workshop?"

* * *

Shirou wiped the sweat off his forehead, letting out a breath of satisfaction as he looked at the work of art before him. The floor had been wiped clean of dust, and polished to a nice sheen that just seemed to shine in the light.

The straw targets had been given a quick fix, the equipment a look-over to repair any faults he could find and of course he had picked up the arrows that had been missed with the earlier clean up.

The youth stood there, the phantom images of his classmates doing their practice step by step with Ayako overseeing them. He could already picture the impatience on Shinji's face and the peaceful focus of Sakura….

It took Shirou a moment before he grabbed himself one arrow and one of the bows and took a position he had been all too familiar with through the years. As he went through the ritualistic steps of the art of Kyudo - the state of simplicity of movements, where nothing was wasted...where the rational mind is quieted and pure intuition take over.

The state of Empty Mind as it was called - a state that almost felt like death but in truth is the state where all errant thought is wiped away to leave only pure thought. Its practice was not meant to just get an arrow into a target, no. Its practice was something meant for self discovery. In practicing this state of Empty Mind, one peels back the ego to reveal the true self.

_Thump_

And through it...Shirou knew he was just ever so badly damaged.

"A perfect hit again…" the boy muttered as he stared at the arrow that buried itself into the target quite a fair bit, smack dab in the middle. The mental image of Ayako that stood before him looked towards the target and then back at him before giving a nod of approval.

"...Shooting with technique improves the shooting, but shooting with spirit improves the man" he muttered, remembering those words Ayako had told him before when he was learning the difference between practicing archery, and practicing Kyudo. Truly, this was the purest martial art for someone like him who needed the introspection.

'I wonder if mom knew I needed this when she pushed me to take up the club offer'

He then remembered just how late it was getting and nearly panicked when he checked the time. He quickly cleaned up the one shot he had done and went back to the locker rooms to pick up his stuff before pausing once more as he grabbed his bag and prepared to leave…

"I'll keep it close, just in case - no one should notice it if I position things right…" he muttered to himself as he set his bag down and took off the jacket of his uniform first - setting it on the nearest bench first. He reached into his bag and pulled out a black harness first, slipping it over his white shirt and fastening the belt tight. He adjusted it to make sure it was neither too tight to make things uncomfortable nor too loose because what came next would be the important bit.

A small holster hung beneath his arm, one on each side of his body thanks to the harness - something that would hold the next item he had been carrying in his bag.

It looked rather...bulky to be honest, a bit on the heavier side too and it's once silver shine had long faded into dull dark metal.

Yet in Shirou's hand's, the warmth of his mother's old 10MM Pistol felt like an old friend. He kept his shooting finger flat on the frame of the gun as he checked his ammo before calling it all good and sliding the gun into the holster and putting his jacket back on to conceal it from view. Now that he was set - the boy stepped out of the dojo

And into the proverbial fucking fire.

* * *

A whirl of steel rang out in the field, the track club's pride and joy torn apart by two superhuman beings. Clash, disengage, clash, push, resist, strike, defend...it was like watching a dance where one mistake meant certain death for either combatant. Rin watched with an impassive look as her servant Archer, a dark-skinned man with white hair clad in black with a red coat who wielded twin blades of yin and yang, lock weapons with his opponent - a wild looking man with blue hair and an equally blue jumpsuit who held a blood red spear.

"Not bad for an Archer, you sure you aren't pulling my leg here though, you could totally be Saber!" the bluenette grinned, blood red eyes filled with jovially murderous intent.

"Sorry to burst your bubble Lancer but this is just me covering my bases, wouldn't be much of a servant if anyone could just get in close and skewer me right?" the white haired man replied with a bit of a wry smile, to which he received a bark of laughter from the spearman

"Hah! Sounds like something my teacher would hammer into my head. Too bad you won't be walkin-"

A crunch of gravel gravel snapped Lancer and Archer's attention away from each other and towards the cause of the sound - both men seeing a rather flabbergasted Shirou staring at them and the destroyed field.

It was a deer in the headlights moment for all involved, the fight having been forgotten and no one moving a muscle for a few minutes as they just processed what was going on. Unfortunately before Rin could yell out a warning, Lancer had already changed directions and made a mad dash towards Shirou with the intent of skewering the witness to their battle with nary a word. What happened next though only shut Rin up in further surprise.

She watched as Shirou's hand shot right into his half open uniform like a viper, her eyes widening as a pistol flashed right into his hands. The boys eyes narrowed as he took a two handed stand and planted his feet firmly into the ground while mouthing a few words she couldn't pick up from her distance. Three loud cracks pierced the air and Lancer's dash was brought to a halt as the spearman quickly brought his lance up in a twirl to bat the first shot away from his head and then dodge the next two follow ups.

This gave Shirou the needed opening...to make a run for it, dashing right into the school just as the servant realized where his new target was going and leapt forward in pursuit

"Archer go! Stop him before he kills that student!" Rin ordered frantically as she too ran after them. Her servant could only give her an incredulous look that was shut up when she glared at him in a way that told him to save his questions for later. With a sigh, he too dashed forward to join the chase and see about stopping Lancer from putting a hole through the gun wielding boy's heart.

* * *

His heart was pounding in his chest - what the hell did he just walk into? Had he been so damned deep in thought that he had missed the sounds of battle outside the very clubroom? If that was the case, and if he survived this - he was going to have Cait and Taiga beat some sense into him to not get lost in his damn thoughts any more.

His circuits flared as he put to use one of the few spells he knew, Reinforcement. This was a magic spell that allowed one to, as the name implied, 'reinforce' something with prana and boost their effects while also strengthening it to an extent. And right now he was flooding prana right into his body to boost his speed and endurance by a small degree to get up the stairs, onto the second floor landing and swing left down the hallway in an attempt to get some distance from his pursuer. A few meters down and he heard the movement of a foot touching down and looked behind him, while at the same time raising his pistol as he took a sold stance knowing the blue clad spearman had no way to dodge in this kind of enclosed space.

He didn't kid himself though, he knew that whoever he was facing was far beyond his ability but he needed to throw him off or deal a crippling blow to slow him down enough to continue his escape. 'Funnel your enemy right into a killbox' he remembered the words of his mother, just as he flooded prana to his back and felt a familiarity kick right in.

"**Time Alter: Half Accel**!"

Things slowed in his eyes, like everyone was moving through water. He could see clearly now his classmate Rin Tohsaka yelling at him to get away - all slowed down to a near crawl. Lancer was still mid dash and had closed half the distance already, moving faster than any human should be able to but now at a pace that Shirou could track with his eyes as his focus sharpened to its cutting edge.

Nine shots left in the clip. He couldn't afford to reload without an opening.

The spearman was a face of controlled fury - spear raised with the tip clear in its intent to skewer his heart.

His dash forward had set him into the air - there was no way he could change direction now, only change how he wanted to use his spear. The first bullet fired went straight and true, flying right towards his forehead. A glint of recognition appeared in those eyes as Shirou watched how the spear changed targets towards the flying projectile. In another case of superhuman precision, the lance wielding man _split the bullet _mid flight - sending what remained right to his sides. His gun barked out the next few shots, one aimed at the left thigh - the other right at his hand, one going straight for the chest.

All deflected or cut apart midair with pinpoint precision to his ever growing horror.

Shirou's calm was breaking into panic at this point as he realized in his folly that this was no ordinary magus...if this person was one and not some superhuman experiment gone wild. The man grinned as changed his attitude mid flight and instead swung his foot up and kicked him right in the chest - dispelling the Time Alter and making Shirou cough blood as he felt for a few moments the impact he had been hit with before his family magic fizzled out completely and he was sent hurtling down the hallway into the end corner where he crashed right into some of the school lockers.

"EMIYA!" he heard a voice yell out in surprise and recognition...was that...that voice? Rin Tohsaka, the honor student? His mind was swimming from the impact, felt like a van had gone ahead and crashed into him headfirst. He could see two figures swimming in and out of his vision, clashing with weapons in a sort of oddly muted experience. He was calling his body to move but it felt like trying to move through molasses

'Mom...guys...damnit, **move**!'

* * *

"Archer have you gone insane! He's a witness, we're under order to remove them!" Lancer bit out as he tried to shove the swordsman aside and jab his spear right through the boys heart. He could just use his trump card, but good god - that was a last resort and absolute overkill against a defenseless magus. Kid had guts though he had to admit, standing his ground like that - had he been some regular run of the mill magus in this day and age, the kid might have done some damage but alas - he had the bad luck to be up against a Servant of all things.

"Normally I'd agree with you, but I got my master's orders to make sure you don't do that" the dark skinned man replied dryly as he watched Lancer's moves - waiting for just the right opportunity to make his own move. Twin swords crashed against a blood red spear - the moves a bit more controlled in the confines of the tight corridor...until a furious kick sneaked its way in.

Archer didn't block it in time, letting out a grunt as he was thrown to the sides and right through one classroom door, leaving a wide open target for the spearman's grinning visage.

Shirou could only look on in unfocused horror as the man finally made the final, gap-closing leap

"GOTCHA YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

And yet, as the blue-haired man crossed into the perpendicular hallway to deliver murder…

A bright blue bolt of lightning hit the unprepared spearman with a deafening bang - sending blood and body right through the nearest set of doors and into what probably was the teacher's lounge.

Rin ran forward right towards Shirou's side to check up on him while looking down the hallway where the shot had come from, Archer having stepped up behind her after recovering from being…'blindsided'

"Alright, this is getting fucking ridiculous - that was no ordinary shot…" a very irritated voice spoke up, Lancer limping back into view as he clutched his sides - a clear stain of blood on his half ruined suit showing a clean hit "Show yourself! Let me see the face of the man who got a cheap hit in…"

Rin already knew that face, the man having stepped into the moonlit hall with a bit of a smile, his familiar uniform and visage only made different with the two small additions

A light brown militia-styled had with the right brim pinned up.

And a massive steel rifle...no it would be better to call what he held a cannon of sorts - weird copper coils exposed in the middle of its length - a bluish steel plate covering the top and a muzzle that looked nearly half the size of the weapon itself. Written across the top were three words written in nearly faded ink.

**The Last Minute**

"Just a teacher looking out for some students up past the curfew" the man explained with a smile to his two students, Shirou giving a pained chuckle as he tried sitting up. His gaze hardened though as he held down the trigger - his weapon powering up with a thrum of energy, a blue glow pulsing under the steel cover.

"Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minuteman"

* * *

AN: And that's it - chapter 2 all said and done. Give me another week or so for the next chapter as a lot more action will finally start picking up now.

To answer a small review from the previous chapter, 'Why is Nutsume's name spelled that way?' - I kinda explained this but it's literally my Sole Survivor's in game name. If you think that's weird then you should see what other people sometimes name their characters. It can be normal stuff like 'Francis' 'Fuckface' 'Nigel Thornberry' or a tad bit odd like 'Croissant' 'Spaghet' and 'Jack Lime'. Yeah imagine writing up the Servant Page for a man named Spaghet with a face only a mother could love...

So here is where things leave off for now, with two Servants, one slightly concussed Shirou, a confused honor student magus and one man who wishes to mark a settlement on their maps. Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of **THE SILVER SHROUD!**


	3. Hunter Hunted Part 2

Chapter 3: Hunter / Hunted Part 2

"Preston Garvey huh? Well, I'll make sure to pay you back for that cheap shot then in spades!" Lancer spat, holding his spear with one hand while one clutched at the wound he had received. The man knew that whatever had hit him was no ordinary gunshot if it could do so much damage and bypass his own ability to sense it via Protection From Arrows.

The stare down was frankly...quite terrifying now that Shirou was starting to get his wits about him. He was still clutching his sides where Lancer's kick had struck him. Rin was by his side at this point, confusion on her face as her own teacher stared down the servant.

Archer was the third party - caught in the middle and readying himself for whatever may happen. Many things were not as his memories said they were and the inclusion of an odd man and Shirou using a gun of all things was quite telling.

"We'll see about that, but right now…" he trailed off, looking to Shirou and Rin with a bit of an apologetic smile.

"...I suggest holding on you two"

"Hold on?" Rin asked with a dumbfounded look, looking like a fish out of water "Professor, what do you-"

"Oh no you don't!" Lancer cried out, eyes widening as he realized something was about to happen and jumped at the group to stop them. Preston catching the twitch in movement intercepted the spear wielder in time, landing a solid kick that took them both away from what happened next.

A thrum of energy, not unlike the device Preston carried finally caught Rin's attention before a bolt of blue lightning crashed into her and Shirou. Rin screamed out in surprise, raising her arms in an automatic response and with the full expectation to feel searing pain only to realize a moment later that nothing felt off after the flash other than the now blowing of wind against her face

"This is…" she heard Archer's voice call out in a bit of wonder before she opened her eyes to see what looked like a rather traditional Japanese home in front of her. To her immediate right, was a blue roofed storage building and to her left, a fence surrounding a small dojo of sorts.

"Nutsume we got them but Preston had to intercept – he's fending off Lancer right now alone!" a cry alerted Rin to someone else being with them, the master of Archer swinging her head around to see a woman in a red trench coat with a press hat standing in front of an odd contraption. It looked like a computer - albeit one that was built into a steep pillar that rose out of the ground with wiring connecting it to…

"What the hell…" she breathed out. She was just as stunned as Archer as her eyes followed the wiring leading up to what they were standing on - a massive raised, circular steel pad with odd protrusions jutting out every few inches or so around it, machinery and technology that was something very out of place in what should be a traditional Japanese home.

The door to the storage building swung open as a chestnut-haired woman rushed out with a quick glance to the pair before focusing on Shirou. She wore an odd uniform that looked like a cross between that of a traditional Japanese policewoman and a military officer's uniform. Formal yet also something easy to move in – a bit worn yet it exuded some sort of protective aura that Rin could not identify. Wrapped a bit loosely around her neck was a scarf that looked like it had seen better days while resting atop her head was an equally worn pair of goggles.

On the left sleeve of the uniform was the only clue the magus had to who this person was; a shield like emblem with a red silhouette of a long-haired woman whose hair curved in a circle around the head. Written in clear Japanese were the words 'Japanese Self-Defense Forces Overseas Troops – Special Forces Task Group Flying Bird'

Archer was immediately on edge the moment he saw the woman clearly and a telepathic message from the bond they shared soon came right to her that made her hair stand on end and quickly follow the man's words to put some distance even with no attack sent their way.

'_Rin, that's a servant, back away now!' _

"Shirou are you with me?" the now at least identified servant asked, kneeling down and looking over Rin's classmate, checking around the injury and seeing him hiss a reply that just confused her and her own servant even more.

"M-mom?"

"Stay with me kiddo, you took a nasty hit if what Preston told me is true. Facing down Lancer like that was brave. Stupid, but brave at least…" she chuckled as she took out a syringe of sorts - the back end of the tube topped with a dial and two metal protrusions. Flipping it around with little warning, she jabbed the needle right into Shirou's shoulder - the boy letting out a hiss of surprise as the device hissed out as well, injecting its contents into the boy.

The effects were near immediate from what she could see. Shirou's deep, labored breaths steadied out, the pained sounds fading away. The boy touched the spot where Lancer had kicked him with all the force of a runaway truck and was surprised himself to feel solid bone and untorn muscle. Rin's own curious look was now shared by her classmate as the Servant stood up and held the empty syringe. A moment later and it began to fade away into motes of lights, its job done.

"Lancer?" Shirou groaned out in question as things began to clear up for him.

"Yep, that wasn't some rogue magus you faced kiddo. That was an honest to goodness Heroic Spirit you shot at. Ballsy like I said"

The boy had the decency to at least blush in a bit of embarrassment as the words and situation sunk in though he did have a few questions now running through his mind. He rubbed the shoulder where his mom had injected him and without a word, Nutsume quickly answered.

"Stimpaks, the wonders of pre-war medicine that could nearly cure anything. Great for injuries in combat" the woman explained with a bit of a smile, holding one hand out and helping her son to his feet before finally turning to the other master and servant pair that had been dragged along for the ride. Archer was already in front of Rin before the woman's next words were out of her lips, the girl having followed the request to put some space between them.

"Now as for our guest..." she began with narrowed eyes, at least until Shirou came to Rin's rescue of sorts - the girl watching the interaction with guarded curiousness.

"Mom she's my schoolmate, they tried to help - look they're not-"

"I know, Preston gave me a quick rundown when he saved you, her and her partner from Lancer"

"…And we were doing fine until Emiya here got involved!" Rin quickly spoke up in defense for herself and to at least make a point about how things had been going pretty much normally until Shirou stepped out of the archery club's dojo

"And you did battle in a public area, in a place that could have gotten innocents involved. If it wasn't Shirou here and some other student tasked with the same activity that left him there that late then you might be dealing with a corpse instead" Nutsume shot back before rubbing her forehead with a slightly frustrated hiss, missing the slightly ashamed look that crossed Rin's face "Look what's done is done…" she continued, "We can't play a game of what if, since things had already happened "You can leave-"

A pulse of energy faintly washed over the place, making everyone look to the sky – the older woman gazing towards the direction she sensed it come from with a slight grimace.

"Er...Blue…" Piper called with a bit of worry and rush in her voice as she looked over something that only she could see on the computer screen.

"I felt it, Preston held him off as long as he could and left a few good shots but he's going to take a bit of time to reform and recover now"

"Not only that but Lancer must have tracked the energy returning to you - he's on the way to the source...here"

Nutsume let out a click of annoyance, refocusing her attention on Rin and Archer and nodding towards them "If you want to go, do so now - Lancer's on the way if you didn't just hear"

"And leave with more questions than answers?" Rin asked incredulously, "Look as the Second Owner of Fuyuki, I'm supposed to know who's operating in my city and the fact that Emiya here has been under my nose for god knows how long feels like a bit of a slap to my face" That and the girl had more than just questions about another magus slipping under her radar but the whole teleporting, mechanical wonder had piqued her interest. The fact that she hadn't been killed on the spot when they had arrived at least showed a friendly disposition that she was willing to bet Goody Two Shoes Shirou wouldn't break. "I'll offer my assistance then to you and your master for now"

"Er…Shirou's my son, not master" Nutsume clarified with a bit of a chuckle, the boy in question coughing with a slight flush on his cheeks.

Rin could only stare at the duo in disbelief before Piper whistled for their attention "Lancer's gonna be here soon so Nutsume...the plan?"

"Right, with Archer here to provide support alongside me we should be able to fend him off. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that should help - that and Preston confirmed he had managed to nail him with the Last Minute a couple of times which means that he's somewhat underpowered now" the older woman replied as she ushered Shirou towards the shed.

"You mean that weird...cannon Mister Garvey had was able to do something to Lancer?" Rin asked for clarification, mentally talking with Archer at the same time and telling him to go along with things for now despite his cautionary stance.

'_Alright but the moment anything goes south I'm pulling you out kicking and screaming all right?' _

'_Why Archer, I didn't know you cared~' _

'_Hah, I just don't want to have to go searching for a new master so early into the war' _

"Yeah - it's not much but it should give us a slight advantage" Nutsume continued without missing a beat before turning to her son "Shirou, you on the other hand need to do something which will help us all out. If done right this should be the biggest boon our little group can ask for. Go into the shed and you'll find a circle that's ready for use. Codsworth has a few things to help you out - follow the instructions and we should be golden"

Shirou was just a bit out of the loop but guessed that this was going to be his own servant summoning that had been prepared by his mom and dad a long while in advance. They had been pretty hush about the details and it was only now after he had faced down Lancer did he realize something big was going down.

"Mom before I do that...is this going to be like 10 years ago?" he asked slowly, a few memories coming to mind and the eventual talks that had shed some light on what had happened.

His mother could only give him a small smile and shook her head "Heavens no, if we play things right we can avoid something of that magnitude...we just need to do our best here Shirou, now go - I have faith in you"

The young boy nodded, before jogging into the shed and closing the door behind him.

"You sure he'll summon her again Blue?" Piper asked as she raised a hand to the device she was standing in front, giving Rin another surprise as the whole contraption suddenly changed from something solid into a mass of blue lines that formed a sort of skeleton shape before vanishing with an audible 'thunk' to god knows where, leaving a normal backyard.

"I'm betting on it being the catalyst for her, the plan needs her linked up at full power like before. For now, Piper I need you to head to safety. I can handle myself here, losing you would put a lot of strain on things so best we take things carefully - link up with Cait and Nick, I'll give a call once all things are clear to move with the next phase" Nutsume replied, getting a nod of understanding in response before Piper went up to her and gave her a quick kiss that left the motherly woman chuckling and her present company either blushing for the third time that night, sputtering a bit at the sight or simply raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"For good luck" the reporter smiled before giving one last nod of confidence in her dear friend and jumping into the air - vanishing a moment later and leaving Nutsume alone with Rin and Archer to whom she turned back to with an innocent smile.

"I have no comment" Archer began before nodding to his red-faced master with a bit of an amused smile though his eyes showed their usual serious steely gaze "Though I think you broke my master here...Mrs. Emiya"

"I'll take that as a question you might want to ask later - oh and just call me Nutsume, I wasn't really married to Shirou's father though I did have a big hand in raising him" she answered casually which stumped Rin at the sudden revelation of the servant's identity "And before you ask why I gave you my name, trust me…"

"I'll be very, _very_ surprised if there was any book about me"

* * *

'_Lancer I need you to find that boy - he may not have been the simple bystander we thought he was at first' _

'No shit!' Lancer thought furiously as he crossed inhuman distances with leap after leap, his blood red spear clutched in the grip of anger while his other hand tended to the slowly healing wound on his side. Normally something like a gun of all things shouldn't have done that much damage but that wound he received was persisting like a particularly annoying bug.

'Almost fucking feels like a curse, what the hell did that Minuteman hit me with?' he was still in fighting shape, moving a tad bit slower than he liked but he could power through the pain and handicap to beat the shit out of Archer's smug face and snatch the kid his master had a sudden odd interest in.

The only other problem the servant could think of was the possibility of there being another servant around the boy. While that Preston Garvey he had fought certainly moved like a servant, he didn't sense anything from the man that said he was one. Not only that but after finally getting in close past a myriad of traps that had taken him by surprise (and how he wondered how that man had set things up beforehand) and allowed the sniper to cheese a few cheap shots - his satisfied glee at driving his spear into the man was short lived when instead of a corpse, he was met with a smirk and the body vanishing into thin air!

'Whatever that man did though left a trail at least for me to follow' he thought to himself as he vaulted over another building and found himself crossing a massive steel bridge that linked the two sides of the city. When the man had vanished, it was like a blast of prana fired itself in return towards wherever it was linked to and it didn't take a genius to make a guess that it would lead him to wherever Archer, his master and the kid who had the balls had gone (and admittedly he had to respect the kid for trying to funnel him into a kill box while standing his ground)

'Had I been some sort of run of the mill magus of this day and age, that kid would have probably put me six feet under…' Lancer mused

'Too bad I ain't of that sort - bad luck for the kid to not only run into me as his opponent but now he's got my shitty master's interest too. Hate to know what happens after that and he meets that shitty bastard too'

His thoughts soon came to a slow as he noted a bounded field coming from the one Japanese house in the old neighborhood - a rather old family home he could guess from what the Grail had supplied his head. Inside though was the unmistakable presence of two Servants which gave Lancer a rush of excitement. He was going to have some problems fighting two on one but who the hell ever said battle was going to be easy, he was going to do his job make no mistake but he's still going to get in some payback and maybe kill one of them if he could!

'_If he is a master – feel free to take him out of the equation…if you can' _

Those words echoed out in his mind as he landed on the roof of the house overlooking a rather open garden where three people awaited him below. The master of Archer, a young woman with a bit of spunk in his eyes, the bastard servant himself and a new face; a woman in uniform wielding…an assault rifle? What was it with people suddenly wielding those damned things, they were coming right out of the woodwork!

Yet his frustration didn't cloud his mind this time around – without the frenzy of battle to lose himself in he realized quite easily the tell-tale signs of another servant. And since he knew the pigtailed master, that left the unknown woman being the only other possibility.

'Damn, did the kid summon already?' he thought – transmitting the view and info to his shitty master before he spoke up "So, which class are you supposed to be?" Lancer asked a bit jovially, shouldering his spear as he kept his spot on the high ground carefully.

"Single Mother" she replied with an innocent and warm smile, eliciting a bark of laughter in response from the man.

"Hah, don't suppose you'd tell me where the kid-"

A massive surge of energy and light came from the shed just to the side of the trio and Lancer's easy going smile slid off his face as a third energy signature came right into his senses – tipping the odds against him and making him swear silently as the situation went from 'manageable with a bit of a tussle' to 'manageable if you're willing to sacrifice a few limbs…' and Lancer quite liked having his arms and legs intact…

The door to the shed opened, to reveal a lightly armored woman of rather short stature, blonde haired tied up in a rather elaborate braided bun. A face that shone with a bit of elegance mixed with a small bit of naivete… and a weapon he could not discern held in her armored hands. There was no denying the newcomer's appearance; this was the boy's servant – the youth in question stepping out right after her with a determined look in his eyes and a freshly loaded handgun being held steady and at the ready.

The woman's eyes widened in slight recognition for the woman whose back was turned to her, the grip on her weapon tightening just a fraction even though she said no words and took no sudden actions.

The smile had still not left Nutsume's face as she had felt the summoning go off with nary a hitch, a nice steady connection having been re-established with a familiar…friend of sorts. "So… Lancer, three servants versus one. Do tell me…"

That smile lost its innocence turning into something more…sinister, the spearman twirling his weapon into a readying stance now that the cards had been stacked against him in a simple move.

"Do you feel like a betting man?"

* * *

"Oho? It looks like this war is going to be most interesting…"

"My king?"

"The woman who I declared to be mine and the one whose treasures she thinks does not belong to me as well…it looks like fate has brought our past up right up to the present. It will be a most wonderful thing to see their fire of defiance fade away under me, the one true king…"

"And Lancer? How should we proceed with our pawn?"

"Tell the dog to return, I've seen enough for tonight – let the fools enjoy their so-called war before I claim what is rightfully mine"

"Understood"

* * *

The air around the Emiya household was palpable to say the least. Tensions running high as either side stood at the ready – waiting to see who would make the first move or if Lancer would pull back…

The man in question held his ready stance before a flash of understanding crossed his eyes, eliciting an annoyed sigh as he once again shouldered his spear "You know...I would have damn loved to fight against these odds. Even if I prefer to leave a battle with all my body parts I'd have leapt at this chance. Thing is, my master is a coward and just ordered me to head back"

"You'd turn your back on us?" The blonde servant asked incredulously, speaking up for the first time that night.

As if to prove her right, the man indeed did turn around to present his back to the whole group – slowly walking away with a nod of his head "Yep, but hey you're free to follow me though if you do…be prepared to die!" he finished, flashing them one last look over his shoulder before leaping up into the air and away from them.

The group held their breaths, waiting for a few seconds – those with the power to do so, watching as Lancer kept dashing away towards the old city until he was able to break their line of sight and vanish, Archer being the first to relax the sign that no sudden surprises were heading their way.

The relaxed air soon vanished just as fast as it had come when Shirou's servant raised her weapon and pointed it right at Nutsume, the older woman letting out a rather tired sigh at the sight while her son turned to his servant in surprise.

"Saber what are yo-"

"I want answers for what happened before I returned…" the blonde responded in a tone of finality, a glare of anger marring her normally regal expression. Nutsume blinked a bit before understanding finally came to the woman.

"Wait you remember-"

"I'd never forget what you **did**"

"_**Saver"**_

* * *

AN: And that's a wrap, sorry for the delay really – had a few big changes in life that slowed progress. New job, new place... had to do a bit of rewriting here and there too.

Now for a few bits of extra info I thought I'd toss in – a slight reminder of sorts that this story was born of a modded playthrough of Fallout 4. It just goes to show; mods can change how one understands or experiences the story of the Boston Commonwealth. In case a few folks want to know stuff like why Nutsume isn't wearing a Vault Suit by default or how she had access to an Institute Teleporter, I thought I'd list some of those featured mods that make an appearance from chapter to chapter.

Just as a note, yes these are a few of the same mods I'm running on my own Fallout 4.

Mods featured this chapter:

1.) Animerace Nanakochan

2.) Immersive Teleportation

3.) Asuka Officer Uniform

4.) Eli's Armor Compendium (specifically Nutsume's scarf and goggles)

I'll be adding small bits like this alongside extra info here and there just for the curious folks.


End file.
